The Miami baseball program will begin the 2020 season with 10 straight home games. That will include a three-game series at Mark Light Field against Florida the second weekend of the season February 21-23.
The Miami baseball team will open the 2020 season with a three-game series against Rutgers from February 14-16. Rutgers travels for Coral Gables for a three-game series with the Hurricanes to begin the season for the sixth straight year. Miami is 15-1 against Rutgers in their six opening season series.
Florida travels to Coral Gables for their annual meeting with the Miami baseball team. The Gators are ranked as the number one overall program by D1Baseball.Com. Miami is 21st. The Hurricanes had a bounce-back season in 2019 after missing the 2017 and ’18 NCAA Tournaments. The Hurricanes were 2019 regional runner-up.
Miami will also host South Florida and Towson in their 10 game homestand to begin the season. The Hurricanes play a midweek game at FAU before hosting Pittsburgh to begin ACC play the first weekend in March. Miami does not leave South Florida until a midweek game at Central Florida March 11.
The game against the Knights will be followed by Miami’s first trip outside the state of Florida. The Hurricanes play at Virginia Tech March 13-15. Miami has a plethora of non-conference games to finish out the season. The remainder of the Miami home schedule in the ACC is Virginia, North Carolina, Louisville and Clemson.
Mark your calendars! The Canes are back in action starting Feb. 14, 2020! pic.twitter.com/YrD3ngYmgZ
— Miami Hurricanes Baseball (@CanesBaseball) November 7, 2019
The Hurricanes’ host Virginia March 20-22, North Carolina April 10-12, Louisville April 17-19 and Clemson May 8-10). Their remaining non-conference schedule is against Lafayette, two games against FIU and two more against FAU, Bethune-Cookman, three against Florida Gulf Coast and a three-game series against Princeton.
Miami has four ACC road series. The Hurricanes road schedule other than Virginia Tech is at Duke March 27-29, at Notre Dame April 3-5, at Florida State April 24-26 and at Georgia Tech May 14-16. NCAA.Com listed their preseason Top 25 for baseball in August. Six of Miami 2020 opponents are ranked with five being in the ACC.
Miami is ranked 16th according to NCAA.Com. The return of star sophomore Adrian DelCastillo has the Hurricanes back on track among the elite teams nationally. Miami finished the 2019 season ranked between 22-25 following a loss to Mississippi State in the Starkville Regional final. The Bulldogs begin 2020 ranked sixth.
"“No. 16 Miami (FL): JP Gates (.340, four home runs) and Adrian Del Castillo (.331, 22 doubles, 12 home runs) are just two of many returners heading to South Beach for 2020. Pair that with an always strong recruiting class and Miami should be strong in the ACC.”"
Miami is a young team with a corps of strong sophomores led by DelCastillo and Gates. The Hurricanes should challenge to win the ACC Coastal Division. The Coastal is far stronger in baseball than football. Notre Dame is in the Atlantic Division in place of Syracuse who does not have a baseball program.
Miami should have a powerful lineup led by DelCastillo and first baseman Alex Toral. Toral led the ACC with 24 home runs and Miami paced the ACC as a team with 85. Miami nearly quadrupled their season total from 2018 when they hit just 23 home runs. Miami brings in a lot of talent with the nation’s sixth-ranked recruiting class.